Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	mary_n	queen_n	time_n	2,470	5	3.3788	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A62898	A position concerning persecution That religion that persecutes a righteous people for their conscience towards God, is not worthy to be joyned to, but to be had in abomination by all sober people, as a religion abhorred of God, and of all that truly know him. This is manifest by that which follows.	Tomlinson, William.	1660 (1660)	Wing T1849; ESTC R219740	7,415	11

liberty yea after the liberty of the Sons of God There hath been a time and that a long time granted to the Man of Sin the Son of Perdition to sit in the Temple of God over the Throne of God for the punishing of all them that love unrighteousness and strong delusions have been sent upon them to enslave their Consciences their most noble part unto men because they loved not the Truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness and so Antichrists kingdom is full of slaves but that time is wearing out and passing over and God will turn his hand against that proud Spirit that durst usurp his Throne and Prerogative over mens Consciences in imposing the matters of his Worship upon them without his command after their own inventions and traditions for the fulfilling of their own lusts and earthly ends and advantages When the King of Assyria had done God's scourging work upon Israel then the Lord takes notice of the proud heart of the King of Assyria in that work and calls him to an account for helping forward the affliction though upon a people that had transgressed how much more will he do it for a people that subject their Consciences in his Worship and Service singly to him and walk inoffensively and harmlesly among men in their generation The Apostles of Christ Jesus they durst not challenge power over mens Faith and Conscience in imposing upon them what the Spirit commanded not which thing of right had belonged to them if to any the Conscience and Faith being that which their work was exercised about Therefore for them to look for it whose work is to regulate the civil life of men and to bear the Sword for Transgressors to keep them in peace that they may not destroy one another nor the Righteous this is an usurpation which the Apostles durst not challenge to themselves 10. Again Persecution argues a want of Truth on that part that persecutes For wherefore do they fly to carnal weapons such as the Apostles never used to subdue errour with and lay aside spiritual Weapons such as the Apostles did use and appointed to be used for the stopping of the mouths of gainsayers Is it not because they distrust their own weapons or find themselves foiled and not sufficiently defended by them and therefore fly to Clubs and Stocks and Prisons and Fines and Traps and Snares and such like carnal weapons for help and so instead of laying their spiritual weapon to the Conscience they use carnal weapons against the body and life and outward being of people and disturb and disquiet their outward life 11. Therefore lastly consider the end of Persecutors They put the Innocent to trouble therefore it is a righteous thing with God to render tribulation to them again God is pleased now and then to give manifest examples of his Justice upon persons that wrong and harm others to let the Earth see that there is a Revenger of Wrongs that takes notice and this he doth often for one wicked man against another how much more then will he avenge the Cause of the Innocent whom the World hath nothing against because their lives are honest and unblameable but onely create Accusations and Traps against them in the matters of their God as Nebuchadnezzars Princes and Counsellors did against Daniel I tell you he will avenge them speedily saith Christ Jesus Shall they subject their Consciences to God alone to be guided and directed by him and shall they be ensnared and trapped by men for so doing and will not God avenge them Yes surely Their Judgment slumbers not who shall so abuse the Heritage of God and usurp his Throne to sit upon the Consciences of his Servants For consider if it shall be imputed as so great a crime against men I was naked and ye cloathed me not I was hungry and ye fed me not a stranger and ye took me not in sick and in Prison and ye visited me not If that will be accounted so great a crime what will be said then to them that rob them of their Apparrel meat drink health liberty of whom it may be said I had meat for my self and Family but you took it out of their mouthes I had apparrel but you robbed me of it I had a habitation but you cast me out of it I had health and liberty but you cast me into Prisons and holes and robbed me of both for in as much as ye did it to one of the least of these my Brethren ye did it unto me If the other shall be taken notice of that did not help in time of need what shall be said to these who did such injuries and wrongs to the least of the Servants of the Lord It is worthy of your most serious thoughts to ponder it all ye that would be rooting out who have not minded the Premonition of our Lord Jesus Christ to the contrary These things are written in love to the Righteous who suffer Persecution and in love to the Unrighteous who do persecute that if the Lord please to give you an ear you may be kept from that great and desolating wickedness which often immediately foreruns a Peoples destruction It was the topping up of Israels sins when they were led captive into Babylon It was the topping up of the sins of the Jews also when their Nation was left unto them desolate after the dayes of Christ It almost ruined the Papists in England even their Persecution in the dayes of Queen Mary And whether it was not the ground of the late long Wars in England let wise men consider As also whether it was not the desolating of that People that had been made successful in the Wars by the immediate hand and strength of God beyond their own prudence and visible power many times as most parties have acknowledged And now if it be kept on foot still whether it may not presage Ruine and Desolation to them that continue therein And it is to be minded by all That No Law of man or other pretence will excuse any man in this matter He that partakes in Babylons sins whereof this is none of the least may expect to partake of Babylons plagues And all are guilty as partakers from the most violent actor in Persecution to him that stands by and consents thereto in his heart Paul charged that against himself that he stood by and consented to the death of Stephen To be angry with our Brother without a cause Christ brings within the Law of Murder how much more to persecute him without a cause will make one guilty Let these things be weighed in all you that have any regard of God or man in your hearts and let all bitterness and wrath and hatred be repented of and be cast out and let the Love of God arise in your hearts towards one another to preserve the outward life of one another as God doth yours lest the measure ye mete to others be measured to you again W. T. THE END